Chapter 11 - Separate Lives #4
Okay. Not going to think about it. This time, before she logged out, she checked the weather forecast for the rest of the week.
Not good. Today was the last clear day till the weekend, and then, it would be cooler, but at least sunny.
Maybe someone would want some exercise. If only Kirsten weren’t so unpleasant.
Bart hadn’t gotten in touch. She was surprised about that.
“Thanks Jim. I’ll be back later.”
As soon as she got to the cabin, she put the laundry in a pillowcase, grabbed the detergent and the mystery she was reading, and started back out, before she could come up with a reason not to.
She hadn’t gotten to the porch door when she heard the lodge truck.
Billy. She would wait a minute and see if he were coming here.
Sure enough. “Good morning!” she said as he opened his door.
“Same to you! You going somewhere? I can give you a ride.” He hadn’t shut the truck door.
“No thanks. I need the exercise.”
“Yeah, I been noticing you putting on a few pounds. I can loan you some weights.”
“Seriously?”
“Nah, just joking. If anything, the opposite. Maybe you should join us up there,” he tilted his head in the direction of the lodge, “for a meal, once in a while.”
“You know, that’s a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that. Hey, if you get some time today, would you go for a paddle? Doesn’t have to be long. Just anything.”
“Sure. Sorry I haven’t been able to - Jim’s been keeping me busy. I don’t know about this weather, though. I think we’re going to get some rain.” He looked up through the trees. “I saw Bart, and he said you guys had a good time and might do it again. What’d you think?”
“I had a good time too, but thanks for telling me – I haven’t heard from him. Maybe I’ll call him.”
Billy closed the truck door. “You can try. I don’t think he’s going to leave home, though.
A couple of his female dogs are expecting.
Queenie’s due real soon. Bart’ll want to be there in case they need help.
He’s particular about his dogs.” He walked around to the back of the truck and was about to open the tailgate and bring in a piece of sheetrock.
“Can you hang around till I get this inside?” He was pulling the sheetrock out. “If not, I can prop the doors open.”
“No, I’m glad to. It’s not like I’m itchin’ to do laundry.”
Once Billy had gotten everything he needed into the cabin, Grace stood at the door. “Do you mind if I stick around a few minutes? To be honest, it’s nice to have another human being here. We don’t have to talk.”
Billy looked up from his toolbox. “I bet.” He stood up, putting his work gloves on. “I been wondering, but I didn’t wanna be nosy.” He watched Grace walk toward the kitchen. “If you ever wanna talk, people say I’m a good listener.”
Grace stood at the coffeemaker, her back to Billy. “Want some coffee?”
“Sure. Always time for a cup.”
They sat in what had become their seats at the table, Grace at the end in front of her laptop, Billy on the side directly across from the window.
They took sips of their coffee, looking outside, then Grace looked over at Billy.
“In a nutshell, I got scared about Robby being stuck here for the lockdown, so he left. But I miss him.”
“Ohhhh. Why ‘scared’?”
“I just felt like things were moving too fast. I’ve had a bad experience with getting sort of lost in a relationship.” She looked back out the window. “The lockdown date was coming, and he thought leaving was the best thing. He was afraid if he stayed, the whole thing might blow up, past fixing.”
“Wow.”
Grace looked at Billy. “Now it’s my turn — why ‘wow’?”
“Cause I bet Robby Song’s never backed off a relationship for that reason. I think the fact that he would do that, says a lot about how much he likes you . . . you don’t?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. In fact, I’ve tried not to think about it at all.” Grace looked back out the window, and Billy was quiet. “Do you know I didn’t know who he was when I met him in the airport?” She turned to Billy. “I just thought he was some older guy trying to pick me up.”
Billy’s mouth dropped open. Then he sat back and laughed hard. “Scuse me, Grace, but what rock you been living under?” Then, he laughed some more. “I knew who he was almost from the first moment I saw him sitting at this table. It just took me a few minutes to believe my eyes.”
“I know. I get it now. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
I mean, I’d heard of the band, but I hadn’t been listening to rock music since college, much less going to concerts.
What I do listen to is jazz. I’ve never been that into rock .
. . I couldn’t have picked any of The Gulls out of a line-up. Still couldn’t, except Robby.”
“What clued you in? Did he finally say, ‘You know who I am, right? Robby Song, lead guitar, singer, songwriter for The Laughing Gulls?’” Billy was about to laugh again.
“No. A girl tackled him in a store in Grand Marais. I thought she was deranged. He took me outside and explained.”
Billy shook his head and took another sip of coffee. “Wild story. So, what’s gonna happen? I thought you guys were good together.”
“I don’t know. I got a message from him this morning. We’re meeting in town Thursday. But I don’t know what he’s going to say. It may be goodbye. It was a short note.”
“Have you thought about what you’ll say?”
“How can I do that when I don’t know what he’s going to say? He evidently has something on his mind — he asked for the meeting.”
“Well, I’d sure be brainstorming about different options.”
“Why? Why waste the time? That’s pure speculation. I can’t know what he’s going to say. Whatever he says, I’ll just respond honestly. I’m not going to play games.”
“Yeah. I can’t see you doing that.”